Dimple forming necktie construction



a h 1958 M. M. MILLER 2,82 ,90

DIMPLE FORMING NECKTIE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 2, 1955 INVENTOR MYRON M. MILLER FIG. 2 I

ATTORNEY United States I, Patent DHVIPLE FORMING NECKTIE CONSTRUCTION Myron M. Miller, Latham, N. Y., assignor to Cluett, Peagildi & Co., Inc., Troy, N. Y., a corporation of New Application August 2, 1955, Serial No. 526,007

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-146) This invention relates to neckties, particularly of a four-in-hand type, and to their manufacture employing a coacting tie blank and liner which allow a correct drape and form a dimple below the knot when the tie is knotted. By a dimple is meant a central concave fold which lies just below the knot in a knotted four-in-hand tie.

One object of this invention is to provide a necktie with a dimple forming structure which is simple to incorporate in the tie during the early stages of manufacture and which will retain its functional efiiciency through the remainder of the manufacturing process and thereafter even though the necktie is pressed, washed, ironed, dry cleaned, or the like.

Numerous attempts have been made over the years to provide a four-in-hand necktie which, when displayed unfolded, will lie flat and, when worn knotted, will drape correctly. Such a correct drape should include the above mentioned dimple or central concave fold below the knot and the formation of the dimple should result even when the knot is tied in a hurry or by an unskilled person. Summarizing, the above prior attempts have included the formation of a slit, a hole, a line of decreased strength or thickness as by compression, weaving or knitting, a pleat, or a stitched fold through the appropriate knot forming area of the blank and/ or liner so as to help form the dimple when the tie is knotted. Other prior attempts to accomplish this effect have included the provision of snap fasteners to compress the tie across the dimple area, the insertion of special liners designed to form the dimple, the adhesive bonding of the blank and liner with or without special shapes so as to form the dimple, and the provision of special stitching or seams so as to constrict the tie laterally under the influence of a longitudinal stress or pull and thus form the dimple. While engaged in research concerning neckties and their method of manufacture, these prior constructions and manufacturing methods have been examined and studied with a view to the development of a construction which is more efficient yet which is practical commercially. Thus, each of the prior constructions has been found to possess certain inherent disadvantages, it being a primary object of the instant invention to improve upon these prior constructions and to provide a less costly and less complex dimple forming structure which is more efiective for the intended purpose.

In view of the above, it is one object of this invention to provide a necktie and a method of manufacturing a lined necktie with a dimple forming structure whereby the physical strength and resilience of the liner is retained, yet no extra stitching, snaps or the like are employed to the end that the cost of manufacture is not increased materially.

To the above end, the liner of the instant invention employs a heat settable fabric or the equivalent. It 1s the coaction of this liner with the balance of the tie which produces the dimple when the knot is formed. Thus, the liner itself preferably is formed from a fabric containing filaments or fibers of synthetic material capable of being heat set. Such a fiber or filament, of which nylon is a well known example, can be set to any desired shape by heat treatment as in an autoclave or with an iron. Thereinafter, the heat setmaterial will be dimensionally stable until heated to a temperature as high as, or higher than that at which it originally was set. Utilizing the heat settable property of such a liner materialor fabric, the instant invention includes the formation of a heat set crease through at least the dimple forming area of the liner. Such a crease is, in effect, a simple, yet efiicient dimple forming structure. Thus, when incorporatedin a fabric four-in-hand necktie, the crease in the liner automatically forms a depression bordered by raised areas across the front of the necktie. This depression causes formation of a dimple below the knot as thenecktie is knotted. The provision of a liner and a necktie incorporating this construction is another object of the instant invention. i

In examining the method or manufacturing phase of this invention, it will be appreciated that substantially all machine stitched four-in-hand ties are seamed wrong side out, then are turned right side out, and finally are steam pressed to shape. With the instant invention, the heat settable liner first is folded along a line preselected to coincide with the desired location of the dimple when the necktie is knotted. The liner fabric in the vicinity of this fold line then is heat treated at a first temperature whereby the fold is set or fixed in place for retention for the life of the necktie. That is to say, the fold line is heat set and thus will be retained until and unless the liner later inadvertently is heated to a temperature at least as high as the first temperature. Following the formation of the heat set fold line, the liner and tie blank are assembled preferably with a seam along the fold line. The tie then is turned to define a conventional tie shape following which the final pressing is effected at a preselected second temperature which is lower than the heat set temperature. In this manner, the fold line is retained through the manufacturing process thereinafter to form a dimple below the knot when the necktie is knotted. Similarly, should the tie later be washed and/or ironed, the fold line will remain. The provision of this method of manufacture and the resultant article are further objects of the instant invention.

Another object of this invention is to provide a necktie with a fabric liner having a heat set crease positioned centrally of the necktie adjacent the knot forming area in order to form a dimple when the necktie is knotted.

A further object of the invention is to provide tubular shaped four-in-hand neckties with heat settable fabric liners which are secured within the ties along the center seams thereof, the liners each having a heat set crease overlying at least that portion of the appropriate center seam which is located immediately below the knot form. ing area when the necktie is knotted.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacture and a synthetic fiber heat settable fabric necktie liner with a longitudinal crease which is heat set at a temperature above normal pressing temperatures but below the melting temperature of the synthetic fiber so as to retain the crease and the corresponding dimple forming function even though the necktie later is pressed, ironed and/or washed at the normal temperatures for such operations.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims and will become apparent during consideration of the following de tailed description of one embodiment of the invention,

taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a large end lining shape cut from an exemplary heat settable fabric;

vFig. 2 is a plan view ofthe lining of Fig. l with a center crease heat set the length of the lining except for an area ad acent one end, the latter area serving to permit an ease of opening or unfolding when the said lining is ioined either to another section of lining or to a second full l n g;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an unturned necktie with the creased lining of Fig. 2 stitched in place as the large end of an overlapping construction;

Fig. 4 is a partial detail of a knotted necktie with the desired dimple, various layers of the fabric and liner being removed to reveal the interior construction; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section, taken substantially on the line 5?5 of Fig. 4, showing the manner in which the liner crease causes the tie fabric to depress, thus forming the dimple.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings there is shown a typical lining 10 which has been cut from a heat settable fabric. As previously defined, a heat settable fabric is one containing filaments or fibers or a full web or sheet of a synthetic material capable of being heat set. Such a material first is made to conform to any desired shape, as by folding after which it is set in that shape with heat, as in an autoclave, by'radia'nt heat, by heated cans, by dry heat or the like. The heat set material then is dlmensionally stable and the desired shape or fold then is retained until the material inadvertently once again Is heated to a temperature as high as, or higher than that at which it was originally set. By actual test, the desired shape or fold is retained through laundering, tumble drying, emersion in water, and the like.

By experimentation, fabrics woven or knit from and sheets of the following synthetic materials have been found to possess heat settable properties and thus to be within the scope of the term heat settable and to be effective in practicing the instant invention: The materialsold as Acrilan which is a trademark of the Chemistrand Corporation for a polyacrylonitrile fiber; the ma terial sold as Arnel which is a trademark of the Celaanese Corporation for a cellulose triacetate fiber; the material sold as Dacron which is a trade name of the I du Pont Co., Inc. for a polyester fiber; nylon which is a generic term for polyvinylidene chloride; and the material sold as Orlon which is a trade name of the E. I. du Pont Co., Inc. for acrylic fiber.

In the fabric form, filaments or fibers of any of the above materials are utilized to'form a web or a sheet or a woven or knitted fabric. For example, a heat settable fabric liner can be. formed by interweaving or interknitting a natural fiber such as. wool or silk with yarns or filaments of one of the above heat settable materials. A fabric in which yarn of the heat settable material alternates in any desired degree of alternation with non heat settable yarns either in the warp or in the weft or both may be utilized. The heat settable fabric may contain an exemplary one, two, orthree, or more non heat setting yarns alternated with one, two, three or more heat settable yarns. The non heat settable yarns may be those typically used for tie liner fabrics such as wool, cotton, silk, 'or a synthetic. Alternately, the entire warp may be made with heat settable yarn while the entire weft may consist of yarns of a non heat settable material or vice versa.

Inmy preferred embodiment, Orl'on yarn is alternated with wool yarn to form a loose weave similar to the conventional loose weave of the wool tie liner material now employed in the industry. In this preferred material, every fourth or fifth yarn is Orlon both in the warp and the weft. This material, when out on the bias, will form a heat settable fabric liner such as is shown at 10 in Fig. 1. It will be noted, however, that whereas I have illustrated a half liner intended for the wide end of the tie only, this heat settable liner could as well be a full liner or any portion of a. single or multiple ply '4 liner so long as the heat set crease traverses the dimple forming area of the tie as hereinafter will be described.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings the large end liner of Fig. l is shown with a center crease 11 formed longitudinally therealong. In an exemplary form of this crease, the liner 10 is folded along the centerline, a hot iron is used to press the material, and the heat set crease thereinafter is retained for the life of the fabric. The temperature at which the crease is heat set in the material must be controlled with accuracy as hereinafter will be explained. in forming the crease itself, those skilled in the art will realize that heat setting of the woven or knitted fabric can be affected as well with heat treatment by autoclave, radiation, cans, dry heat, or the equivalent. In any event, the purpose of-the'heat treatment is to set the crease into the material more or less permanently. Once such a heat set has been afiected, the liner may be washed, tumble dried, dry cleaned, immersed in water or the like without loss of the fold line or crease and the dimple forming structure thus is of superior lasting power.

In Fig. 3, the heat set liner 10 is shown in combination with a tie blank 12. This tie blank is of a conventional shape provided with large and small ends spaced by a central knot forming area. In the illustrated embodiment, it is preferred that the liner It) be secured both to the blank and to a second liner of conventional construction along the crease 11. To help the operator unfold the liner 10 prior to performing this joinder, the upper, more narrow end of the liner 10 has been left uncreased as shown in Fig. 2. As a first step, the second or conventional full liner 3 has been placed upon the the blank 12. Thereinafter, the liner 10 has been placed over the lower or large end of the blank and full liner so the line or crease 11 coincides with the intended position of the seam of the finished tie. In the manufacture of four-in-hand neckties, bundles of hemmed or tipped tie parts are distributed to joiners to assemble the parts into tie blanks by stitching them together. These tie blanks then are pressed down and the tip is turned right side out and pressed to form the proper margin. The pressed ties then are distributed to the seam stitchers where a long back seam 14 is run. As the seam stitcher works, the appearance of the tie is that shown in Fig. 3 except that the crease in the liner It is opened up while the stitch is applied. Thus, it is the function of the seam stitcher to stitch the long seam 14 which joins both the heat set liner 10 and the full fold liner 13 to the tie blank 12. Where no full liner 13 is employed, of course, the seam joins the liner 10 to the tie blank 12. It here will be noted that machine stitched ties are'wrong side out at this stage of manufacture and thus the seam 14 actually coincides with what will become the back centerline of the. completed tie.

Aftersearning the tieblank, an operator turns the entire hlannthereby unfolding the heat settable liner it if need be. At the same time, it will be apparent that the crease or'fold llretains both its physical properties and its location along the longitudinal centerline of the finished tie during the turning. Turned ties, next are distributed to final presserswhere the proper insert is placed in the tie for the final pressing operation. conventionally, a light weight electric steam ironis passed over the front face of thetie using alight' pressure ata precisely controlled temperature in order to avoid'glazing, marking or other darnage'to the'tie fabric. It is at this point that an important feature of the instant invention will be noted. To this end, it will be recalled that the crease or fold line 11 has been set at a preselected and a precisely controlled first temperature. This temperature is correlated both to the type. of synthetic fiber incorporated in the heat settable liner yarn and to thefinal press temperature. That is to say, themelting point a'ndthe point atwhich various synthetic fibers become sticky varies with the different inaterials. Heat setting, of course, is accomplished below the melting point and below the temperature at which the fiber becomes sticky. At the same time, the heat setting must be effected at a temperature higher than the final press temperature so the final press will not reset or erase the fold line or crease 11. Again selecting Orlon as an exemplary synthetic fabric, the temperature at which Orlon fiber becomes soft and sticky is in the range 455 to 480 F. Heat setting of an Orlon liner thus may be affected in the range of 200 F. to 400 or 450 F. where the final press is limited to a temperature less than 200 F. If the tie fabric itself or the dye in the fabric is fragile or easily damaged by heat or steam, it is conventional to restrict the final press temperature to the range 180 to 200 F. In this case, the liner can be heat set at any temperature in excess of 200 F. and the crease or fold line 11 will be retained throughout the remainder of the manufacturing process and the efiective life of the tie, it here being assumed the necktie never will be pressed at a temperature above the final press temperature. Expressed differently, when the material of the blank will scorch at a certain temperature, the crease is heat set at a temperature above the scorch temperature thus assuring its retention.

In Fig. 4, there is shown a necktie having a knot and the desired dimple 16. This tie has been knotted in the usual manner and various plies of the fabric have been broken away in Fig. 4, to reveal the construction which has caused the formation of the dimple 16. To this end, it will be noted that the crease or fold line 11 of the liner 10 is located directly beneath the outer surface of the tie fabric 12. Further, the liner and the heat set fold line or crease 11 are pierced by the stitching of the long seam 14. The crease itself, of course, forms a depression or concave fold bounded on both sides by raised or convex portions. The seam 14 appears to emphasize the concavity and thus to aid the dimple forming structure. Thus, when the knot 15 is cinched tight, the tie fabric is compressed laterally and the dimple 16 automatically is formed in the liner and is evident through the thickness of the tie fabric (see Fig. 5). Since the heat set crease 11 is positioned centrally of the necktie within the knot forming area, the dimple 16 is located immediately below the knot and centrally of the sides or margins of the necktie. When the necktie once again is unknotted, the tie fabric will lie flat with the crease hidden. By giving the crease 11 a substantial length, the formation of the dimple is assured irrespective of the location of the knot within the knot forming area.

Expressed as a method in the manufacture of a four-inhand necktie, it will be seen that the first step is to fold or bend the heat settable fabric 10 lengthwise along the longitudinal centerline thereof. The crease 11 then is heat set along at least the lower portion of this fold line at a temperature which is below the scorching temperature of the fabric itself. The entire liner 10 then is positioned upon a second liner or directly upon the unseamed tie blank 12 so the centerline of the liner 10 coincides with the centerline and seam line 14 of the finished necktie. The tie blank then is seamed through the centerline of the 6 liner 10 and along the fold line or crease 11. As the tinished necktie is pressed the fold line is retained so long as the temperature of the finish press does not scorch the fabric and thus is less than the heat set temperature.

It now will be seen that I have provided both a dimple forming structure and a method of manufacturing a lined necktie with a dimple forming structure. In each case, the physical strength and resilience of the liner has been retained so as to provide the correct drape and appearance for the tie, both in a flat display condition and in a knotted condition. The incorporation of this dimple forming structure in a necktie requires no extra stitching, snaps, slits, holes, stitched pleats, or adhesive bonding. This is an important consideration in the commercial practicality of the dimple forming structure. That is to say, the cost of manufacture has not been increased materially by the provision of the above described dimple forming crease and seam. Further, the dimple forming structure will be retained under normal usage throughout the life of the necktie in spite of washing, ironing, dry cleaning or emersion in water.

It will be understood that the various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a fabric four-in-hand necktie having a larger end and a smaller end, a resilient innerliner having ends corresponding generally to the said ends of the necktie, a portion of the fibers of said innerliner in the knot-forming portion thereof being a synthetic material which is capable of being heat set at a temperature above the scorching temperature of the tie fabric without said innerliner losing said resiliency, said knobforming portion of said innerliner having a longitudinal sharp crease heat set therein at a temperature above the scorching temperature of the tie fabric so as to retain the crease at normal tie pressing temperatures and facilitate the formation of a dimple when the necktie is knotted.

2. In the knot forming area of a four-in-hand necktie with a fabric tie blank, a resilient innerliner within said blank woven at least in part of fibers of a synthetic material which is capable of being heat set at a temperature above the scorching temperature of said fabric tie blank without losing said resiliency, said innerliner having a longitudinal sharp crease extending the full length of said knot-forming area to facilitate the formation of a dimple when the necktie is knotted, said sharp crease being heat set in said resilient innerliner at a temperature above the scorching temperature of said tie blank so as to retain the crease at normal tie pressing temperatures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,279,845 Snyder et al Apr. 14, 1942 2,291,531 Cheney et al. July 28, 1942 2,484,182 Newman Oct. 11, 1949 2,653,325 McCarthy Sept. 29, 1953 

